Campaigners took action at over 100 stations yesterday to protest another wage-busting rise in rail fares and to call for an affordable railway under public ownership. At London King’s Cross Station campaigners were joined by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Shadow Transport Secretary Lilian Greenwood as well as leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett.

Campaigners at London King’s Cross Station joined by Nathalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party

Trade union activists and campaigners met passengers at stations across England, Wales and Scotland to raise awareness of the benefits of a publicly owned railway. The day of action coincided with research published by Action for Rail, which revealed that UK commuters spend up to six times as much of their salary on rail fares than passengers using publicly-owned railways in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The high costs of the UK’s privatised railways are reflected by public opinion. A separate new poll for Action for Rail of 1,719 British adults by YouGov found that:

61% say train services in the UK are bad value for money

62% think that fares would be cheaper if train companies weren’t trying to make a profit